Amazon Web Services (AWS) recently announced AWS Private 5G, a new managed service that helps enterprises set up and scale private 5G mobile networks in their facilities in days instead of months. With just a few clicks in the AWS console, customers specify where they want to build a mobile network and the network capacity needed for their devices—and AWS delivers and maintains the small cell radio units, servers, 5G core and radio access network (RAN) software, and subscriber identity modules required to set up a private 5G network and connect devices. AWS Private 5G automates the setup and deployment of the network and scales capacity on-demand to support additional devices and increased network traffic.
With AWS Private 5G, customers can specify a coverage area within a geographic location where they want to deploy a private 5G network, along with the amount of traffic they expect the network to handle. To connect devices to the private network, customers simply plug the AWS-supplied SIM cards into their devices. AWS Private 5G integrates with AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), enabling network administrators to directly control which resources mobile devices can access on their private mobile networks.
“Many of our customers want to leverage the power of 5G to establish their own private networks on-premises, but they tell us that the current approaches make it time-consuming, difficult, and expensive to set up and deploy private networks. With AWS Private 5G, we’re extending hybrid infrastructure to customers’ 5G networks to make it simple, quick, and inexpensive to set up a private 5G network. Customers can start small and scale on-demand, pay as they go, and monitor and manage their network from the AWS console,” said David Brown, Vice President, EC2 at AWS.
Jeff Armstrong, Director of Infrastructure Engineering at Amazon, said, “We deploy technology outside of FCs to make moving tractor-trailers around safer and more accurate and efficient. We have to provide network services for these systems across millions of square feet of outdoor space. Previously, to get proper Wi-Fi coverage in the parking lots around our FCs, we had to add light poles for the Wi-Fi equipment, modify our outdoor electrical systems and either trench fibre or support Mesh systems. This was expensive, disrupted productivity during installation, and had a high support burden.”
Customers can start with small networks with fewer devices using AWS Private 5G, analyze network needs once in operation, and leverage the elasticity and pay-as-you-go pricing of AWS to scale their private mobile network as they add more devices. With AWS Private 5G, customers can quickly deploy and manage private 5G mobile networks without the challenge of procuring, scaling, and maintaining equipment or worrying about needing to add additional capacity when they want to add more devices.
